Thailand’s parliament said it would investigate a senior politician and former army chief after he was filmed slapping a reporter as she tried to ask him questions. Prawit Wongsuwan lashed out at a journalist from public broadcaster ThaiPBS on Friday as she asked him about the appointment of Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the kingdom’s new prime minister. The 79-year-old was seen in a video hitting Duangthip Yiamphop several times around the head as he left a building, demanding “What are you asking? What? What?” Prawit, Thailand’s army chief in the early 2000s, was one of the architects of the 2014 coup that ousted Paetongtarn’s aunt, then-PM Yingluck Shinawatra.
He went on to serve as deputy prime minister under the military-backed government that ruled until last year. The Thai parliament said in a statement that it would investigate the slapping after ThaiPBS made a formal complaint. Prawit could potentially face suspension as an MP or even a lifetime ban if he is found guilty of a serious ethical violation.
The Thai Journalists’ Association condemned Prawit for using “violence against a journalist”. Related News Two years after, cause of ex-Army chief’s plane crash unknown “The Thai Journalists Association considers his actions to be threatening and harassing toward the rights and freedom of the press,” it said in a statement. Noppadol Srihatai, the executive editor of ThaiPBS, told reporters that Prawit’s actions “threaten journalism”.
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